Published online
doi:10.1084/jem.20081461
The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol. 205, No. 12, 2803-2812
The Rockefeller University Press, 0022-1007 $30.00
© Watford et al.
Tpl2 kinase regulates T cell interferon-
production and host resistance to Toxoplasma gondii
Wendy T. Watford1,
Bruce D. Hissong1,
Lydia R. Durant1,
Hidehiro Yamane2,
Linda M. Muul1,
Yuka Kanno1,
Cristina M. Tato1,
Haydeé L. Ramos1,
Alan E. Berger1,
Lisa Mielke1,
Marko Pesu1,
Benjamin Solomon1,
David M. Frucht4,
William E. Paul2,
Alan Sher3,
Dragana Jankovic3,
Philip N. Tsichlis5, and
John J. O'Shea1
1 Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
2 Laboratory of Immunology and 3 Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
4 Laboratory of Cell Biology, Division of Monoclonal Antibodies, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, United States Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD 20892
5 Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111
CORRESPONDENCE Wendy Watford: watfordw{at}mail.nih.gov
Tpl2 (Tumor progression locus 2), also known as Cot/MAP3K8, is a hematopoietically expressed serine-threonine kinase. Tpl2 is known to have critical functions in innate immunity in regulating tumor necrosis factor–
, Toll-like receptor, and G protein–coupled receptor signaling; however, our understanding of its physiological role in T cells is limited. We investigated the potential roles of Tpl2 in T cells and found that it was induced by interleukin-12 in human and mouse T cells in a Stat4-dependent manner. Deficiency of Tpl2 was associated with impaired interferon (IFN)-
production. Accordingly, Tpl2–/– mice had impaired host defense against Toxoplasma gondii with reduced parasite clearance and decreased IFN-
production. Furthermore, reconstitution of Rag2–/– mice with Tpl2-deficient T cells followed by T. gondii infection recapitulated the IFN-
defect seen in the Tpl2-deficient mice, confirming a T cell–intrinsic defect. CD4+ T cells isolated from Tpl2–/– mice showed poor induction of T-bet and failure to up-regulate Stat4 protein, which is associated with impaired TCR-dependent extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation. These data underscore the role of Tpl2 as a regulator of T helper cell lineage decisions and demonstrate that Tpl2 has an important functional role in the regulation of Th1 responses.
Abbreviations used: ChIP, chromatin immunoprecipitation; ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; PEC, peritoneal exudate cell; siRNA, small interfering RNA; STAg, soluble T. gondii antigen.
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